Trackin’ Trucks: John Hunter Nemechek Wins at Las Vegas
John Hunter Nemechek earned his first Camping World Truck Series win of the season on Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Nemechek held off his boss Kyle Busch by a .695 margin-of-victory, giving Kyle Busch Motorsports a 1-2 finish.
Nemechek led 94 of 134 laps during the Bucked Up 200, giving the 23-year-old his seventh series victory. The win is Nemechek’s first since March of 2018.
“Coming back to the Truck Series, that was the plan, that was the goal, we came into the year with the hashtag ‘here for wins’ and we are here for wins,” said Nemechek who has seven career series wins. “I definitely think experience paid off tonight.”
Busch gave a complimentary interview of his No. 4 Mobil 1 team after the race.
“It’s perfect, it’s all you can ask for, it’s everything,” Busch, who holds 59 CWTS victories, said. “It’s cool to see the four-truck in Victory Lane and see John Hunter have a shot and get back in Victory Lane.
“Having Eric Phillips back and all the guys that have come on board this year doing all the stuff that we’re accustomed to doing and getting back to running up front, seeing both of us sharing in that and having that speed, that four-truck was fast.
“Even on those short runs I couldn’t run with him. After about eight or 10 (laps) I had a better shot at running with him but we just didn’t have the laps there at the end.”
Busch led 16 laps before finishing second, ending his three-year win streak of the spring event. Austin Hill finished third, while Stewart Friesen and Matt Crafton rounded out the top five.
Zane Smith finished sixth, Grant Enfinger seventh, Parker Kligerman eighth, Christian Eckes ninth, and Ben Rhodes 10th.
Enfinger and Kligerman earned an extra $25,000 with their efforts while carrying the Camping World sponsor on their Chevrolets. Camping World and its CEO Marcus Lemonis offered the bonus incentive to 10 trucks that sported Camping World, giving rewards to any driver who won, finished in the top five, or top 10.
There were nine cautions for 48 laps, the biggest coming on Lap 98.
GMS driver Raphael Lessard came down the track into the No. 17 Toyota of David Gilliland. The incident collected seven trucks, including those of Hailie Deegan, Sheldon Creed, and Munford, AL native Bret Holmes, who was making his series debut.
A Look Ahead
The Camping World Truck Series return on March 20th at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Grant Enfinger earned his first of four victories of 2020 at the track in June, after the COVID-19 pandemic sidelined the series from its original date. Austin Hill finished second.
Nemechek holds the 2021 point standings lead by 14 points over Ben Rhodes, who has earned two victories this season.
Who will win at Atlanta? Find out on March 20th at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
